Dear Abby: I’m 13, and my ‘first kiss’ just broke up with me. My dad says it’s just puppy love, but I have a feeling I need to be with him. What hurts even more is he had a new girlfriend the next day.

I want to get back with him, but I don’t know how.

— Aching Heart

Dear Aching Heart: If your “first kiss” broke up with you and had a new girlfriend the next day, all it shows is that he has a short attention span. While the end of a romance is painful, chalk it up to experience. It only hurts for a little while. Trust me on that.

Now, some woman-to-woman advice: Once it’s over, all the note writing, phoning or conniving will not help your cause. Accept that it’s time to forget him. The longer you linger, the more foolish you will appear. So stand up straight, smile and move on. There are better days — and better boys — ahead.

Dear Abby: Every summer, I witness parents encouraging kids to take native wildlife.

I watched a 6-year-old girl show off the two palm-sized baby turtles her dad had “given” her from the lake and put them into a plastic container to take home. They were snapping turtles.

Then there was the mom who thought it would be fun for her 7-year-old boy to play with a few frogs in their dry, sun-drenched back yard. Within an hour, the frogs had escaped. Best guess is they died and became dehydrated, sun-dried critters or dog food.

Not only is it illegal to take wildlife on a whim but it’s also selfish. At a time when we’re already damaging our planet for our recreational pastimes, we need to teach our kids that living beings are not toys but rather a valuable part of ecosystems. It’s much more fun to observe and learn from a turtle swimming free in the lake.

— Wildlife Preserver

Dear Wildlife Preserver: Well said. Earth Day is Thursday, and it offers a chance for all of us to do something positive for the planet.

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